I stopped by this park while driving through Rockledge and had a pleasant visit. I even had the…read moreentire park to myself. The park was dedicated on April 12, 2012, to Larry L. Schultz, a former Rockledge mayor who served on the City Council for 34 years before retiring in 2011. In addition to his public service, Schultz had a distinguished career with NASA at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, where he was responsible for the design, development, and operation of facilities, systems, and equipment used to support space vehicle launches. Together with his wife, Wanda, he also founded the Rockledge Open Space and Conservation (ROC) Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing recreation, open space, and conservation throughout the Rockledge community. Schultz passed away in 2018 at the age of 74. Adjacent to the parking lot is a memorial wall honoring police officers and firefighters. Jimmy Weaver Lake in the middle of the park is named in memory of Deputy First Class James "Jimmy" Weaver, who was tragically killed in 2003 after being struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at the scene of a crash. This 7.5-acre park features a half-mile walking path around the lake, a playground, restrooms, a fishing dock, benches, and a covered pavilion with picnic tables. I enjoyed my walk around the lake and spotted a pair of black-bellied whistling ducks, along with several ibis. While walking through the park I spotted a Peace Pole dedicated by the Rockledge Rotary Club. A Peace Pole is an eight-sided aluminum monument displaying the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in different languages on each side. These monuments are installed around the world to promote peace and harmony. The Peace Pole Project even has an interactive online map showing the locations of Peace Poles in communities across the globe. More than 200,000 Peace Poles have been installed on every continent. It is always fun to find one.

Great park just as you get into Rockledge, Florida. I enjoyed the walking path, which goes around a…read morelake. It also has a nice pavilion and a decent amount of parking. Since I was here on a Thursday just before noon, the park was not overly crowded (there were just a few people here) and it felt like I had the park to myself. All in all, this is a great park and a wonderful addition to the community.

This park is named in honor of Robert "Bob" Anderson, a longtime Space Coast educator who served on…read morethe Rockledge City Council for two decades. He was one of the foremost civic leaders in Brevard County. He served in leadership roles for 28 years at Brevard Community College, chaired the Brevard County School Board for seven years, and served more than 30 years on the Wuesthoff Hospital board of directors. Bob Anderson passed away in 2019 at the age of 92. The Dr. Robert A. Anderson Stormwater Park is an 80-acre park on Pluckebaum Road. It is home to the Barks & Recreation Dog Park, a playground, wildlife observation deck, fishing pier, and picnic pavilion. There is bridge connecting the dog park area to the stormwater park. The park also has on the property, the 1930's Thompson family cracker-style house. The 400 square-foot house can be rented for private events including baby showers, small organization meetings, club meetings, and class field trips. The facility can be rented alone or with the pavilion at Dr. Robert A. Anderson Stormwater Park. This park is one of five stormwater facilities managed by Rockledge Stormwater Utility. The storm water parks help to clean and filter water before it reaches the Indian River Lagoon. An added benefit to this process is it attracts wildlife and offers people recreational space. While walking near the water I spotted a couple of limpkin and I saw a great white heron fly over. Stormwater parks like this one are great recreational spaces for exercise and wildlife watching.

Located in Titusville, Tom Statham Park is one of several beautiful waterfront parks along the…read moreIndian River, offering stunning views across the water from the Kennedy Space Center. The 5.15-acre park sits on land acquired in 1986. Former mayor and councilman Tom Statham played a key role in acquiring and developing the property. Throughout his public service, he was deeply involved in municipal policy and the expansion of local parks and recreation facilities. The park was dedicated in his honor in recognition of his commitment to the community and its public spaces. Operated by Brevard County Parks and Recreation, Tom Statham Park features a scenic riverfront boardwalk, a playground, picnic areas with grills, pavilions, and a fishing dock. The adjacent Tom Statham Community Center, renovated in 2015, is available for community rentals and includes a spacious event hall, meeting room, food service area, and an outdoor patio overlooking the park. Towering palms and native hardwood trees provide both natural beauty and welcome shade which sets the stage for picnicking, fishing, playing, or simply enjoying a leisurely stroll along the paved pathways and riverfront boardwalk. Thanks to its unobstructed east-facing views across the Indian River, the park is also one of Titusville's most popular public locations for watching exciting rocket launches from the nearby Kennedy Space Center.

Cocoa Manor Park sits just minutes from Historic Cocoa Village, one of the oldest settlements on…read moreFlorida's Space Coast. Cocoa Manor Park is a pocket park, a type of neighborhood park that is typically less than half an acre in size. These small parks are designed to provide nearby residents with outdoor recreational space rather than leaving vacant lots undeveloped or adding more buildings. A wrong turn unexpectedly brought me to Cocoa Manor Park, so I stopped here to reorient myself. While it's a small neighborhood park, it was a pleasant place to take a break. The park features a playground with swings and slides, along with a few picnic tables for people to sit at. Parking at this park is very limited, suggesting that the park is primarily intended for residents of the nearby Carleton Terrace neighborhood. it is a nice little green space that serves its local community well.

Veterans Memorial Park in Titusville serves as a tribute to the men and women who have served our…read morecountry. Dedicated on July 4, 1991, the memorial sits connected to Space View Park by a pier along the scenic Indian River at the east end of Broad Street. The centerpiece of the park is the Circle of Memories, an 80 foot circular memorial featuring ten granite monuments with bronze plaques that honor the ten major U.S. conflicts, from the American Revolution through more modern wars, including Desert Storm. At the heart of the circle stands a Peace Monument, representing hope for the future. In addition to commemorating America's wars, the memorial includes special tributes to the courageous Tuskegee Airmen and to the hundreds of Allied soldiers who lost their lives in the tragic sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville during World War II. These memorials to lesser known chapters of history spotlight those whose service and sacrifice might otherwise be overlooked. The serves as the gathering place for Titusville's annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. it is also a great place to watch a space launch since the Kennedy Space center is less than 15 miles away across the lagoon. The thoughtful design, scenic waterfront location, and memorials make this an exceptional Veteran's Park.

This is a small park by Space View Park and is located down at the end of a street. There really is…read moreno parking lot, but there is plenty of on street parking. This is definitely a park that you would want to check out if you are in Titusville, Florida. While you are here, walk over to Spave View Park and check out two great parks. We need parks like this. Parks to gather as a community and also to remember those in history who helped allow us to live as we do. This park remembers our veterans.

You can access the Johnnie Johnson Nature Trails from the free parking lot for the Brevard Museum…read moreof History and Natural Science and Eastern Florida State College. The winding network of paved and natural earth trails meanders through 22 acres of native Florida upland and wetland ecosystems surrounding Clear Lake. The trails are named in honor of Johnnie Johnson, a prominent local naturalist and historian who served for many years on the Brevard County Historical Commission. During the 1960s, Johnson surveyed and documented what remained of the ancient Ais Indian mounds in the area. He coined the name "Ulumay" for the nearby sanctuary, which was later dedicated as a historical landmark by the Brevard County Historical Commission in 1993. Through his work and extensive knowledge of local history, Johnson preserved and documented the Indigenous history of the Space Coast. His legacy continues to shape conservation efforts in this part of Florida. There is a sign marking the entrance to the trails and they were easy to hike. The preserve is home to endangered gopher tortoises, although I didn't spot any during my visit. Even on a hot summer day, the dense tree canopy provided plenty of shade cooling the trail. I especially enjoyed the lovely Spanish moss draping from the trees giving it an Old Florida feel. My only disappointment was that there aren't many clear views of Clear Lake. Much of the shoreline has become overgrown with invasive vegetation, making it difficult to see the lake. I finally caught a glimpse from it from Travis park where the trail ends. If you visit the museum I highly recommend you take a few minutes for this hike that will help you appreciate how this area looked when the indigenous people lived here thousands of years ago.

The Mansfield Maritime Hammock is a pristine natural area located at the back of Lori Wilson Park…read more On August 19, 2022, the hammock was officially named in honor of Phyllis and Howard Mansfield, whose decades of volunteer work helped protect this important habitat for both migratory and resident birds. Although Howard Mansfield passed away in 2017 before the dedication ceremony, his contributions were remembered and celebrated alongside Phyllis. Longtime Cocoa Beach residents, the Mansfields began working at the hammock in 1990 and they became passionate about protecting the many species of birds that depend on it. As part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, the hammock is an important stopover for migratory birds. Birders have recorded 32 species of wood-warblers here, including the rare Cerulean, Nashville, Connecticut, and Wilson's Warblers. Other notable migrants include the Painted Bunting, Great Crested Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Scarlet Tanager. Over the years, the Mansfields and fellow volunteers from the Cocoa Beach Tree People removed invasive plants and litter, maintained bird feeders and a freshwater pond, shared local bird sightings with visiting birders, and planted hundreds of native trees and plants throughout the city. Phyllis also helped to stop proposed plans to build another road through the hammock. At the dedication ceremony Phyllis Mansfield said: "This maritime hammock is a wonderful part of the greater Lori Wilson Park, and I hope my friends, county residents, birders, and volunteers will all work to ensure this maritime hammock's wildlife habitat will be restored by removing and replacing invasive plants with desirable bird attractors and a water feature." In recent years, the City invested approximately $4 million in improvements to Lori Wilson Park. The project included replacing and refurbishing the beach crossovers and boardwalks, restrooms, showers, dog park, maritime hammock, and other park amenities, with funding provided through tourist development taxes. Admission and parking are free. Visitors can explore the 27 acre hammock by walking the 0.6-mile interpretive boardwalk, accessible from the north parking lot or via the paved pathway from the south parking lot. On the day I visited the outside temperature was 105 degrees but even though the temperature was scorching, the walk was made bearable by the shade. The boardwalks were in good shape with seating areas and I liked that there were signs telling me what to look for and what I was looking at. I would have enjoyed the walk more on a cooler day but I am glad to know that this place exists to provide support to the local and visiting birds.

The City of Titusville, Florida, is known as the "Gateway to Nature and Space." One place where you…read morecan experience the natural beauty of Florida's Space Coast is the Long Lake Recreation Area. I actually stumbled upon this park while searching for another destination nearby. That happy accident led me to this tree filled outdoor recreational area. This area also has a fascinating history. During Florida's Archaic Period (approximately 8,000-1,000 BC), it was home to an Indigenous group of hunter-gatherers. In 1982, the remains of 169 children and adults were discovered in a peat bog that had been disturbed during the construction of a housing development. The remarkable archaeological find, known as the Windover Archaeological Site, provided a unique glimpse into the lives of Florida's earliest inhabitants. Today, the site is part of the Windover Farms neighborhood in Titusville, a community of one-acre homesites located near the Kennedy Space Center. The Long Lake Recreation Area is intended for residents of the Windover Farms subdivision and their guests. Amenities include tennis and racquetball courts, a playground, a disc golf course, and a picnic pavilion. My favorite part of the park was the playground. It still features some classic old school equipment that instantly took me back to my childhood. There was a tall metal slide that looked like it would be scorching hot on a sunny Florida afternoon. It was also much steeper than the slides you typically see today. I even spotted a seesaw, something I haven't come across in years. Most of this type of equipment has been replaced with newer, safer designs, so seeing these nostalgic pieces again was a fun trip down memory lane.